Google's next version of Android , tentatively known as Android N, won't implement proprietary Java APIs from Oracle. The mobile operating system will instead rely solely on OpenJDK which is an open-source version of Oracle's Java Development Kit.

The spokesperson said that as an open-source platform, Android is built upon the collaboration of the open-source community. As such, they plan to move Android's Java language libraries to an OpenJDK-based approach that'll create a common code base for developers to build apps and services.

The change will of course have a direct impact on developers, but perhaps not in the manner one would expect. The publication correctly points out that Google developers will likely appreciate the change as it simplifies the code on which they build apps. Specifically, it'll provide a common codebase rather than multiple codebases.

If simplifying things for developers was the only motivation, however, Google would likely have done so years ago.

Many believe that the ongoing legal dispute with Oracle is the primary reason for the change. One theory is that the change may indicate the two sides are working to settle the matter out of court. It's also plausible that Google is making the change to help protect itself in the future should it ultimately lose the suit.